TV Binge Viewing On Rise

TV producers better ramp up TV show production -- otherwise we'll have apathetic binge-viewing TV consumers, according to a new study.

Now, seven of 10 U.S. TV viewers consider themselves
“binge-viewers,” per marketing and research company Miner & Co. Studio, which says these viewers say binging is “addictive.”

The company defines binge-viewing as
watching three or more episodes of one series in a single sitting, with frequent binge-viewers being those who do the activity a few times per week or more. Infrequent binge-viewers are those who
binge once a month or less.

Big-time binge watchers --17% of binge-viewers -- do so on a daily basis. Another 63% binge on a weekly basis; about 90% binge at least once on a monthly
basis.

Typical frequent binge-viewers: younger (61% are millennials) and more ethnically diverse (34% being non-white).The study also noted those more intense binge-viewers were two
times more likely to let commercials play and four times more likely to say they will upgrade their pay TV subscriptions.

Some negative aspects of binge TV viewing include a lapse in
personal hygiene. Frequent binge-viewers are two times more likely than infrequent binge-viewers to have skipped showering or bathing because they were binge-viewing; 27% said binge-viewing made them
feel sluggish.

Good news for TV producers and networks -- 43% of frequent binge-viewers watch more TV. The downside is that 25% of all viewers said they dislike binge-viewing because they
“don’t have anything left to watch once they finish.”

If that doesn’t alter TV producers'/networks' thinking, consider this: 71% said binging is “totally
normal,” with 59% considering the habit to be a harmless addiction.

The research comes from a March 2014 study among 800 U.S. TV viewers who watched six-plus hours per week and are
between 18 to 54. These viewers watched at least three episodes of a single show in one sitting at least once. The margin of error is +/- 3.46%.